Glutathione sodium salt as a novel adjunctive treatment for acute myocardial infarction.

Timely recanalization of infarct related artery along with effective myocardial cell reperfusion represents a major challenge in the management of STEMI. The reperfusion of coronary arteries can induce further cardiomyocyte death by generating oxidative stress, which itself can mediate myocardial damage through a number of different mechanisms. Based on experimental and clinical studies, interventions to treat reperfusion injury by antioxidants were considered to be an appropriate therapeutic option. We emphasize the hypothesis that glutathione sodium salt, a physiologic antioxidant, may be of value when administered to STEMI patients both at an early stage of myocardial reperfusion by primary angioplasty and for up to three days after the procedure, in addition to standard treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]